New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced his support for one of the most divisive football teams in the country–and it's not one of the two teams that play in his state.
"My favorite football team is not the New York Giants," he told elementary students Tuesday, as they responded with a loud round of boos at an assembly in Parlin, New Jersey. "It's not the New York Jets and it's not the Philadelphia Eagles."

"Get ready now," he teased. "My favorite football team are the Dallas Cowboys."

The students erupted into a mix of cheers and boos.

"Which by the way is not the smartest thing for the governor of New Jersey to want to be is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys," he said.

While he considers it politically incorrect to be a Cowboys fan in New Jersey, he may be making a smart move.

Choosing one of the New York teams might not win him many friends in the south part of the state, close to the Philadelphia Eagles–and vice versa.

When he was a kid, he told the students, he was big fan of Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach.

"The Giants and the Jets pretty much stunk when I was a kid. And my father was a Giants fan and I used to remember watching him when I was eight, nine years old and every Sunday he would watch the Giants and yell at the TV set," the Republican governor said. "I used to think to myself why would I want to root for a team that makes you angry?"

But to prove his regional loyalty, Christie has talked before about his support for the New York Rangers, the New York Mets, and the New York Knicks.

While Jersey now has the Devils for hockey and previously had the Nets for basketball, Christie said in 2010 that he grew up when the Nets played in Long Island and the Devils didn't exist. (Hence, the Knicks and Rangers favoritism.)

Disclosure: This writer is a lifelong Cowboys fan who recently switched to the Washington Redskins. RGIII all the way!

soundoff(27 Responses)

Anything to get a headline in the NY media circles. It's all about the upcoming reelection campaign for him...well, maybe that AFTER the campaign donations.

June 19, 2013 01:38 pm at 1:38 pm |

it must be said

It doesn't matter what football team he roots for. He's going to kick butt in the election, much to the dismay of all the lefties in here. But don't fret, he'll move into much nicer accomodations in 2016.